WHO is INGA?

INGA (the artist formerly known as Inga Ingenue), crowned the 2018 Reigning Queen of Burlesque, is an internationally renowned burlesque star, recently voted one of the Top 3 Burlesque Performers in the World (21stcenturyburlesque.com). Famous for her precise style and charismatic, innovative performances, her work has been featured in several films and documentaries, including A Wink And A Smile, Waxie Moon in Fallen Jewel, and the award-winning web series Capitol Hill.

Born and raised in Seattle, USA, INGA spent her formative years studying ballet, tap, jazz, modern dance and choreography for dance and theater with instructor Susan Wright, a dance trainer for Olympic athletes. After joining the Seattle burlesque community in 2005, INGA co-founded Sinner Saint Burlesque, which went on to produce one of Seattle's longest running weekly burlesque shows. Since then she has performed in thousands of shows and headlined numerous festivals and events, most notably the Burlesque Hall of Fame Showcase in Las Vegas, the Viva Las Vegas Burlesque Showcase, the Fringe World Festival in Australia, the Toronto Burlesque Festival, the Amsterdam Burlesque Festival, and the band Queensryche's Queensryche Cabaret tour. In 2011, INGA won the coveted title of "Miss Viva Las Vegas" at the Viva Las Vegas International Burlesque Competition. In June of 2018, INGA was honored to win the most revered of all burlesque titles, "Miss Exotic World" The Reigning Queen of Burlesque at the 2018 Burlesque Hall of Fame Tournament of Tease, making her the only performer to ever hold both the Viva Las Vegas and Miss Exotic World titles.

Since 2011, INGA has been a member of The Atomic Bombshells, the Northwest's premier burlesque troupe. Directed and produced by Kitten LaRue, The Atomic Bombshells have been called "The New York Yankees of Burlesque!" (KPLU Radio), and have been featured in numerous publications such as GQ, Bust, Tease magazine, and MTV.com. Their critically acclaimed Valentine's Day show J'Adore! A Burlesque Valentine celebrated it's tenth season in February 2018 with sold-out crowds.

When she's not performing, INGA is an instructor at Miss Indigo Blue's Academy of Burlesque in Seattle, where she has taught over 1100 students since 2009. Her specialties are teaching Floorwork, Burlesque 101—the Academy's six-week intensive performance workshop—and working one-on-one with performers of all levels to help hone their theatrical skills and take their work to the next level. INGA has often said that of all the experiences burlesque has given her, teaching others has been the most rewarding, and by far the most important--burlesque can change your life!

Instruction

Considered one of the foremost burlesque educators in the Pacific Northwest, INGA has 10 years of burlesque instruction experience, as well as an extensive background in ballet, jazz, tap, exotic dance, theater, and physical fitness. A lead instructor at Miss Indigo Blue’s Academy of Burlesque, she specializes in helping students level-up their sexual stage craft by focusing on personal style and expression, character work, musicality, and movement nuance. She has helped countless burlesquers not only find clarity and power in the acts she workshopped with them, but discover insight and knowledge that helped them become better performers.

“The truth of burlesque is that it isn’t actually about costume, props, or choreography—it’s about heightened, shared human experience. The thing the audience cares about most, in the end, is getting to watch and share in your particular experience … and, coincidentally, what all artists truly want most in the depths of their souls is to feel seen. So how do you want the audience to ‘see’ you? What do you want them to feel? They’ll remember that long after they forget the color of your costume.” - INGA